Child Sexual Abuse Prevention/Education

90% of children that are sexually abused are abused by someone they know...someone that has access...someone that is no longer a safe person. Unfortunately, kids don't know this...acutually, most adults don't know this statistic. We tell our kids about "Stranger Danger" and we tell them don't take candy from strangers...then we take them Trick-or-Treating at a stranger's house and we take their candy. Now don't get me wrong, it can be a perfectly safe family-friendly outing with safety guidelines. It can also be an oxymoron to the information we tell our kids, especially since the 'stranger' isn't often the biggest 'danger'. A loved or trusted person who crosses the line from affection into abuse, can be very confusing to a child and their loved ones. Feeling violated, manipulated, shamed, betrayed...doesn't stop when the abuse stops. This can cause a lot of Adverse Childhood Experiences that carry over into adolescence and adulthood. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html 

As a survivor of child sexual abuse, I have wanted to put a stop to it. Now I have tools to make an impact in the lives of children in the community. 

Fair Haven partnered with the North Township Trustee Frank J. MrVan in March 2017 for the "No More Secrets" initiative against the secrecy of child sexual abuse and aiding to pass Senate Bill 355, requiring schools to provide prevention education to students every year. Our agency found the Think First & Stay Safe program, an evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention education designed for children grades k-6 and approved by the Indiana Board of Education. We presented at 14 School City of Hammond Elementary Schools, speaking to 7,408 students. Seeing this as a need in the community, I began reaching out and offering this program to surrounding school districts and many were pro-active to accept this education in their schools.

Fair Haven was proud to present to 20,786 students in the 2017-2018 school year and we anticipate presenting to over 30,000 in 2018-2019 since Senate Bill 355 went into effect July 1, 2018.

Prevention is the key to stopping this trauma of child sexual abuse. I love teaching children to know that they have a right to be healthy and safe- whether at home, school or in the community. To empower the belief that they have a right to their own body and can set personal boundaries in relationships. To expect respect and reflect respect...because 'a person's a person, no matter how small'. - Dr. Seuss "Horton Hears a Who"